GungFu:roughridersfan: I saw a TV show that explained how the rocks do this. Anybody remember it? I can't recall the details.

There's been a few over the years but the one I remember was from the 80s and called, 'Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World'.

So, old shiat is old.

I think "Unsolved Mysteries" did one, and either it got redone on Discovery channel or that pathetic stew on History Channel. It's very frustrating because the conditions have to be so perfect, nobody can catch it on video, and there's no good way to fake it, either.

roughridersfan:I saw a TV show that explained how the rocks do this. Anybody remember it? I can't recall the details.

I think it was something to do with the rocks changing how things erode. Minute differences on the mud moves the rock ever so slightly each day with temperature changes. Over a year, you get mere inches, but it moves.

Apparently a lot of people missed this link. Their explanation sounds pretty plausible.

Some amount of water covers the usually dry lake bed. Ice sheets form and either wind or currents push them into the rocks, sliding them across the bottom. Clay is pretty dense so it would deform from the weight of the rock, and it would take a while to fill back in. It's also pretty slick when it's wet. The water level during the event would determine which rocks move, since smaller rocks would be below the ice and larger ones too heavy to move. That would explain why some have trails and some don't.

Yup, it's ice, wind, and/or rain that creates a slick, frictionless surface for the stones to move. That's the prevailing theory. When you have no resistance, size and weight of the stone doesn't matter.

/ as the story's author, I'm getting a kick out of this// I am not subby, but am tickled to see the story here

And if you want youtube silliness, I'm making fun of Bear Grylls here, and being a dork here with the moving rocks.

I was there Death Valley at the end of March just before Drew's convention in Las Vegas.But I've never made it to the racetrack ... too chicken to face that road. But I did climb to the top of. Wildrose Peak.

Kevin72:historynow11: I was there back in October. Love Death Valley :)

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And if you want youtube silliness, I'm making fun of Bear Grylls here, and being a dork here with the moving rocks.

I was there Death Valley at the end of March just before Drew's convention in Las Vegas.But I've never made it to the racetrack ... too chicken to face that road. But I did climb to the top of. Wildrose Peak.

I drove from Ohio to Santa Barbara, CA for a wedding, then went into Death Valley and camped for a few days before heading to Bonneville, UT then back to Ohio. I drove Racetrack Valley Road...in a Toyota Corolla. Took 2.5 hours each way, but it is worth it. Lost one hubcap on the way out, but found it on the way back :)